Lenovo readies Yoga 11S convertible for release

Lenovo has revealed that a more powerful version of its Yoga 11 convertible is earmarked for release next month. Essentially four devices in one, the Yoga 11S will run Win8 Pro and be powered by a choice of Intel's 3rd generation Core i processors.

Like last year's Yoga 11, the 11S can be used in four different modes. The laptop and tablet modes pretty much describe themselves, but the 11S can also be placed on its edges in tent mode for watching movies or videos, or with the keyboard flat against the desk in stand mode for flicking through photo albums. Both models have an 11.6-inch IPS capacitive touch display at 1366 x 768 resolution, but the latter now supports 10-finger multitouch action.

Core i3/i5/i7 processor options with integrated HD4000 graphics trump the old model's Nvidia Tegra 3, and there's more system memory on offer – up to 8 GB, in fact. Storage also gets a huge boost to either a 128 or 256 GB SSD, and the Yoga 11S runs the full version of Windows 8 instead of RT. Lenovo has also included gesture support that allows users to wave a hand in front of the 720p webcam to advance to the next screen.

All that extra power and functionality does come at the expense of battery life, though. The Yoga 11 boasted a 13-hour battery life, but that's knocked down to six hours in the new version.

The 11S is just a tad chunkier at 0.67 inches (17 mm) thin, and a little heavier at 3.1 lb (1.4 kg). One USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0, a HDMI port, a 2-in-1 card reader, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, and an AccuType keyboard complete the specs.

The IdeaPad Yoga 11S is currently up for pre-order at Lenovo's online shop, and at Best Buy. Available from June 23 in a silver or orange soft-touch finish, prices start at US$799.99, and run right up to $1,349.99.

The video below from Lenovo demonstrates the convertible's main features.